Elementary School: 21 schools (3679 students)

•  Students must wear special uniforms at PE for their particular schools (shirt, shorts, and a red/white cap)

•  Students must wear room shoes (‘Uwabaki') in the classroom that look like ballet shoes

•  Students must use a special and expensive backpack (‘Landocelu')

Boys: Black Landocelu Girls: Red Landocelu Price: $5,000~$40,000 Since thier text books are thin, all of their school books can fit.

•  Students mush wear white shirts and black pants/skirts during formal assemblies (at least six times a year)

•  Students must take turns in cleaning their classrooms, bathrooms, and school grounds before they can go to recess

•  Students must walk to the lunchroom everyday to pick up their class lunch to take back to their rooms where they serve and eat

•  Winter vacation begins on the day of Christmas

•  Summer vacation lasts only 40 days and students are given packets of homework assignments for each subject

Junior High School: 17 schools (1902 students)

•  Students must wear school uniforms everyday (socks must be white or that student will be sent home)

•  Students must not wear any accessories

•  Students must not dye their hair

•  After school activities last long into the evening (from about 4 PM to 6 PM)

High School: 4 schools (1792 students)

•  Students are not served school lunch so they must bring their own lunch from home or they can eat out

•  Students can wear some accessories

•  Students must not dye their hair

Entertainment

Movies

There is one movie theater, holding 116 seats. There are a couple of rental stores, so most people prefer to rent videos.

Festivals

There are several summer festivals that attract many people of all ages. Those festivals are also very children oriented with the many games with fun prizes. The food is also definitely worth trying.

~Rock Festival~

•  June

•  This mostly attracts local young adults as well as young people from the mainland

•  Famous musical artists come to perform at the seashore

~Miyako Festival~

•  July

•  Major city streets are blocked and people walk freely to enjoy different activities

•  Lots of fried or sweet foods

•  Games with prizes such as goldfish, toys, or bouncy water balloons

•  The main street is used for a huge tug-a-war between the east and the west (anyone can participate)

•  The Miss Miyako pageant also takes place during the festival

•  There is a big parade with school bands and ‘Kuichaa' dancers from different regions

~Orion Beer Festival~

•  August

•  A live musical performance takes place by popular artists

•  Adults enjoy drinking beer while children can play games at the different booths

Triathlon

In April, 1,500 people from around the world come to participate in the Miyakojima Triathlon. Participants must go through three stages of swimming (3 km), cycling (155 km), and running (42.195 km) within 14 hours to complete the race. While the course may be tough, participants can enjoy the beautiful view, cool breeze, and warm ocean of Miyako.